Roberto Cavalli, the flamboyant Italian fashion designer, has died at the age of 83, his company announced.
He died on April 12 but few details, such as the cause of death, were revealed.
“It is with deep regret and a great sadness the Roberto Cavalli Maison participates in the passing of its founder Roberto Cavalli,” his company said in a statement.
“From humble beginnings in Florence, Roberto succeeded in becoming a globally recognised name loved and respected by all. His legacy will live on via his creativity, his love of nature and via his family who he cherished.”
Cavalli won acclaim in the early 1970s for an excessive, glamorous style that incorporated animal prints — traits he would keep throughout his career.
Advertisement
During this period he was largely unknown outside Europe but already had a celebrity clientele, selling jackets and minidresses from a boutique in St Tropez to stars including Sophia Loren.
Later, Cavalli, born in Florence in 1940, was embraced by the likes of Beyoncé, Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna.
He once commented on his love of animal prints, saying: “I copy the dress of an animal because I love to copy God. I think God is the most fantastic designer.”
Tributes to Cavalli came from across the worlds of fashion and celebrity.
Giorgio Armani, another giant of Italian fashion, said: “I cannot imagine a vision of fashion more distant from mine than that of Roberto Cavalli, yet I have always had enormous respect for him: Roberto was a true artist, wild and wonderful in his use of prints, capable of transforming fantasy into seductive clothes.
Advertisement
“I have learnt with great sadness of his passing: his Tuscan verve will be greatly missed.”
Jennifer Hudson, the Oscar-winning singer and actress, described Cavalli as “a true artist in every sense of the word”.
“He made the world a more beautiful place and will be dearly missed,” she wrote on social media.
Cavalli stepped back from designing about a decade ago after ceding 90 per cent of his company to a private equity group.
He is survived by model Sandra Nilsson, 38, who has been his partner since 2014, and six children. He became the father of his sixth child at the age of 82.
